This invention relates to a locking member in the form of a collar which can provide a strong mechanical joint between a tube and an apertured plate.
The present invention will be hereinafter described particularly with regard to its application in the construction of muffler assemblies for car silencers. It is, however, to be appreciated that this application is given by way of example only and that numerous other applications are possible and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the Engineering arts.
To the present time, the construction of muffler assemblies for vehicle silencers has usually required extensive welding between the various components thereof and particularly between the tubes and the baffles. This welding is time consuming and tends to assist in the development of corrosion around the weld points. It also tends to result in time in the failure of a percentage of the welds requiring the replacement of the entire silencer. Also, to facilitate such welding, the baffles have in the past been generally provided with flanges around the apertures to which the tubes are then inserted. This flange formation also increases the number of operations in the construction of a welded muffler assembly and hence the end cost thereof.
A proposal has now been put forward which allows a non-welded construction in which muffler tubes are expanded to form a ridge on each side of the baffle or end cap collar aperture to hold the muffler tubes to those parts. However, this proposal still requires the baffle or end cap apertures to be extruded or flanged with the resultant need for accurate preassembly before the muffler tube is expanded to form the resultant joint. Also, because the muffler tube is not expanded inside the flange area the baffle will only be as tight as the original, slide, fit.
The present invention has been developed specifically for use in the construction of mufflers but as it will be appreciated hereinafter it could be utilized in numerous other applications and wherever a mechanical joint between a tube and a plate is required.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a method and means whereby a strong mechanical joint between a tube and a plate can be obtained.